The Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF) is an international foundation whose mission is to assist the international community in pursuing good governance and reform of the security sector. The Centre provides in‐country advisory support and practical assistance programmes, develops and promotes norms and standards, conducts tailored policy research, and identifies good practices and recommendations to promote democratic security sector governance.
DCAF was established in 2000 on the initiative of the Swiss government and is guided by the principles of neutrality, impartiality, gender sensitivity and local ownership.
HOW WE WORK
DCAF’s Business and Security Division works with business, governments and communities to improve security, sustainable development and respect for human rights. We play a leading role globally in improving oversight and accountability of the private security industry. We engage actively to address security and human rights challenges related to the extractives sector when operating in complex environments. More broadly, DCAF supports initiatives at local, national and international levels that promote responsible business conduct.
The Business and Security Division is committed to constructive engagement and shared learning across all actors with a role in security provision, management and oversight. Making lessons learned, good practices and tools publicly available is a key element of our approach.
We engage on two levels:
1) Support to international Initiatives that promote responsible business conduct
We support multilateral institutions and international initiatives that promote responsible business conduct, seeking to create bridges between them in order to ensure coherence and maximise impact. DCAF is Secretariat of the Montreux Document Forum and a strategic partner of the International Code of Conduct Association. As an official Observer within the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (VPs), we support implementation of the VPs through our partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross.
2) Support to national implementation in the field of business and security
DCAF has over a decade of experience supporting national processes to improve oversight and accountability of the private security industry. DCAF also promotes good security and human rights practice with companies operating in complex environments, with a focus on the extractives sector. DCAF’s Security and Human Rights Implementation Mechanism (SHRIM) is a multi-donor initiative that provides a framework for much of DCAF’s programming in the Business and Security Field.
